Sounding spinning top



Feb. 16,1926. v 1,573,084"

L. MARX SOUNDING SPINNING TOP Filed D86. 18 1924 INVENTOR Louis Marx BY Wu- A RNEYS Patented Feb. 16, 1926.

LOUIS MARX, 0F NEXV YORK, Y.

.SOUNDING SPINNING TOP.

Application filed December 18, 13%. Serial No. 756,654.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, LOUIS MARK, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sounding Spinning Tops, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spinning tops, and relates more particularly to sounding or musical spinning tops.

A. principal object of my present invention COIDPlGhGIlClS the provision of a spinning top designed and constructed for producing or emitting sounds, such as the ringing of a bell or the playing of a musical chord or' scale when the top is set into spinning action.

More specific objects of my invention in elude the provision of a spinning top structure in which a mounting is provided for the spinning top body for rotatably supporting the same for spinning action; the further provision of a spinning top in which complemental sounding elements are provided on the spinning top body and on the mounting therefor, which sounding elements coact when the top body is spun on the mounting; and the further provision of a top of the nature referred to in which the.

top body is supported on the mountingin a manner to effect a smooth, stable spin ning action of long duration.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the clcments and their relation one to the other, as hereinafter more particularly described and sought to be defined in the claims; reference being had to the accompanying drawings which show the-preferred embodiments ofmy invention, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a view with parts broken away and shown in section of one cn'ibodiment of my invention, and

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of: the invention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and having reference first to 1. thereof, the top structure of my invention comprises a rotatable spinning top body B provided with a winding or twisting head W for energizing the top body, a stationary mounting M constructed for removably receiving the top body B and for serving as a spinning support therefor, and a sounding'lneans S consisting of complemental elements carried respectively by the mounting M and the top body B, which complemental sounding elements coaet to produce sound when the top body is spun on its mounting.

The top body B may be of any suitable construction, and is preferably of the sheet metal type comprising the concaved mating body sections 10 and 11 made of sheet metal and joined peripherally at at 12, the body section 10 being preferably, though not necessarily, provided with a raised central portion 13, which latter is provided with the circuini'erentially arranged orifices 14 and the circumferentially arranged indentations 15 adapted to cooperate with parts of the twisting head orwinding means W, as'is well known to those skilled in the art, and as will be described further hereinafter. Supported centrallyin the body sections 10 and 11, there is provided the vertical stem 16 which preferably extends from the lower body section 11 through and above the upper body section 10, the upwardly projecting portion being adapted for receiving the winding means W. The stem 16 is hollow or tubular shaped, and is provided with a shoulder portion such as a head 17 for engaging the small base of a frusto conical shaped partitioning member 18, the large base of which is in sealing engagement with the top section 10 of the top body, the said partitioning member 18 being preferably conicalshaped throughoi'it its body for, the purpose of effectually resisting and 1ninimizing axial play of the stem 16.

Thcspinning mounting Mfor the top. body comprises a base support 19 which may be a bar or disk and a standard or vertical postfZO fixed thereto. The post '20 defines the spinning support for the top body and stem, and is constructed to removably rcccive the stem 16, the said stem being open at its bottom and the topbody section 11 being provided with a central registering opening 11 to permit oi the removable reception of the stem and top body by the supporting post. lVith this construction it will. be seen that the post defines the spin ning support for the stem and top body, and that the upper ends of the postanol stem form the spinning point, so that the top body is suspended for free rotation at a point substantially above the center of mass of the top, this construction affording astabilized, smooth spinning action of comparatively long duration.

The winding device or twisting head XV comprises inner and outer relatively movable body sections 21 and 22 respectively, the said body sections being provided respectively with-the relatively movable and complemental finger grip portions 23 and 21. The inner body section 21 forms a spring winding means and the outer body sqction 22 forms a locking means, and to these ends the inner body sectionis provided with a' spring one end of which is fixed to the;

finger grip portion 23, and the other end of which projects as at 26 for engagement with any of the plurality of circumferentially arranged orifices l i provided in the top body; and the outer body section 22 is provided with the locking means 27 having a plurality of circumferentially arranged teeth 28, 28 adapted for reception by the indentations 15 of the top body. With this construction it will be seen that to set the top body into spinning action, the same is first removed from the supporting mounting M and the twisting head or winding means is rotated on'the stem 16 and locked in energized position. The top body and its twisting head is then replaced on the spin-' ning post 20 and the sections of the spinning head are relatively moved to disengage or unlock the spinning top body to permit the wound spring 25 to impart its energy to the top body for setting the same into spinning action.

The sounding means S inthe embodiment shown in Fig. 1 of'the drawings comprises means for producing a sounding or ringing of a bell when the topbody is spun on the mounting, the said sounding means comprising one or more bell elements such as 29, 29 fixedly supported on stud posts 30, 30 can ried by the base 19, and one or more bell hammer elements carried by the bottom section 11 of the top body,- the bell hammer ele- 3 ments preferably consisting of centrifugally movable hammer elementsSl, 31 carried at the oppositeends of a cross piece or arm 32 which is fixed or joined to the bottom section 11 of the top body. YVith this construction it will be apparent that when the top body is rotated on its mounting, the bells and bell hammers cooperate to produce the sounding or ringing of a bell. Important advantageous features of the construction provided reside in the relative arrangement and cooperation of the complemental sounding elements in a manner to permit free removal of the top body from and the replacement of the same on the spinning support, and the Stabilized mounting of the top body to afford a uniform operation of the sounding means during spinning action of the top. 7

producing a harmonious COHlblllttl'lOilOf mu sical notes, such as a chord or the musical scale. In this embodiment of the invention, the spinning top bodyB is preferably provided with a single bellhammer element 36 carried by the arm 37, said arm being fixedly attached to the bottom section of the top body. lVith this construction, it will be evident thatwhen the top body is spun on the mounting, the bell hammer element will engage or strike the sounding tubes in successsion for playing any desired musical combination of notes.

The manner of makingv and using the soundin top of my invention will in the main be fully apparent from the above detailed description thereof. Itwill be further apparent that'while I haveshown my invention in the preferred forms, many modifications and changes maybe made in the structure disclosed without departing 'fromthe spirit of the invention, defined in the following claims. i

I claim: y

1. A sounding spinning top comprising a rotatable spinning top body, a winding means therefor, a stationary mounting for the top body, and sounding means having complemental parts comprising a sounding element on the mounting and a hammer device on the spinning top body, the said complemental parts of the sounding means coacting to produce sound when the tolp body is spun on the mounting.

2. A sounding spinning top comprising a rotatable hollow sheetmetal spinning top body having a vertical stem, a winding means therefor removably receivableby said stem, a stationary spinning mounting for the top body, and sounding means having complemental hammer and sounding element parts carried respectively by the top body and the mounting, the said complcmental parts of the sounding means coacting to produce sound when the top body is spun on the mount-ing.

8. A sounding spinning top comprising a rotatable hollow spinning top body, a winding means therefor, a stationary spinning mounting therefor, and sounding means having complemental parts comprising a sound ing element on the mounting and a centrifugal hammer device on the top body, the said complemental parts of the sounding means coaoting to' produce sound when the top body is'spun on the mounting.

4. A bell sounding spinning top comp-rising a rotatable sheet metal spinning top body having a vertical stem, a winding means therefor removably receivable by said stem, a stationary mounting therefor, a bell. carried by the mounting and a centrifugal hammer device carried by said top body, the bell and hammer coacting to produce a bell ringing sound when the top body is spun on the mounting.

5. A spinning top comprising a rotatable hollow sheet metal spinning top body provided with a hollow upstanding vertical stem, a spring winding means removably receivable by said stem and a stationary mounting for the top body including a vertical post insertable through said top body and stem for removably receiving the same, the said post defining a spinning support for the stem and top body With the upper ends of the post and stem forming the spinning point.

6. A sounding spinning top comprising a rotatable spinning top body provided with a vertical stem, a stationary mounting for the top body including a vertical post for receiving said stem, the said post defining a spin ning support for the stem and top body, and sounding means having complemental parts carried respectively by the top body and mounting coacting to producesound when the top body is spun on the mounting.

7. A spinning top comprising a rotatable sheet metal spinning top body provided With a hollow vertical stem, a stationary mounting for the top body including a vertical post forremovably receiving said stem,the said post defining a spinning support for the stem and top body, a bell carried by the mounting and a bell hammer carried by the top body, the bell and hammer coacting to produce a bell ringing sound when the top body is spun on the mounting.

the county Si -ne d at New York city, in of ew York and State of New York, this 15th day of Dec., A. D. 1924.

LOUIS MARX. 

